Rishabh Agarwal's story might not be much interesting but motivates us a lot. Rishabh, a final year student from the Department of Chemical Engineering secured a jaw-dropping AIR 4 in this year’s GATE examination. All success stories have ups and downs, but the fire of hard work always gives a shining star. His story too guides us to the path of true success. Success is not what we dream, it is what we require. Rishabh opened up in a candid talk with iET Whiteboard on a windy Saturday afternoon, with a passionate look on his face.

WB: How was your academics, how did it affect your GATE preparations?

My academics are average I scored nearby 80% marks in all my semester. Generally, your preparation for the GATE is not much affected by your academics .

WB: What were your views on getting the Chemical branch? Did you actually want this branch or it was just on the basis of your rank?

Chemical is not such preferred branch by students because in India there is not much employment for it. We are unable to understand the potential which chemical holds. In other countries engineers used to innovate & integrate the technologies in the field of the chemical. Yes, this branch is allotted to me on the basis of my UPTU rank. It's not my first preference.

WB: In your opinion what is the best career option for a chemical engineering student? Is it only GATE or MBA?

First preference for chemical engineering aspirants must be GATE.
After a good score in GATE, you can prefer jobs as
*Analytic chemist
*Material Engineering
*Production Manager.

And if you think that Chemical Engineering Is not your cup of tea, you can think of doing MBA.

WB: Generally, students are confused with choosing their career options. What will you suggest to them ?

In the first year, you have to analyze yourself depends on you that what you want your future to be if you need a good job with high pay & luxury you should go for MBA.
If you want slow progress, rest and fame in life you must prefer GATE and if you can take the risk should prefer startup ideas.

WB: JEE & Gate both are conducted by IITs so what are difference & similarities ?

GATE is much different from JEE Advance. In GATE you need to cover your syllabus multiple times i.e. hard work is necessary. While for JEE Advance high IQ is also required with hard work. Just make your engineering concepts very clear if you really want to qualify GATE with flying colors.

WB: What were the things that kept you motivated?

In today’s busy life one who keeps me supporting and motivated is always my parents. Solution to all my troubles is my parents. And even if they can not give you the solution always, but can provide a way to solve it. You just need to listen and understand what they say!

WB: What did you feel after getting admission in IET ? Was it as per your expectation?

After getting admission I expected a lot from college but in return didn’t get much but it does not mean that college is not supportive. When time passes we came to know the facts of our college. In the final year, you will know about the better half of it.

Time is everything you need to be successful in life and the college provides you plenty of it!

WB: Please tell us something about your preparation ?

I started my coaching in the 4th semester from GATE FORUM but the sincerity needed to be was evoked in 6th semester & the last 4 months of GATE examination. I prepared really hard.I used to dedicate the entire mornings and evenings for my preparation. Thus, I ended up completing the bulk of my preparation in the last two months I gave more than 50 mock tests of the coaching institute and analyzed them on a daily basis. During the last phase of preparation I used to focus on test series & revising my concepts daily I used to solve 2-3 test papers. .I also solved the previous year papers in a time-bound manner. Thus, I was able to identify my mistakes at every juncture and work on them consistently. This formed an important aspect of my preparation in addition to the usual studies.

WB: What were the things you were involved in the last four years of college, other than the studies ?

In my first year, I was the volunteer in annual cultural fest & technical fest of our college. Although I am not much interested in the cultural fest, I participated in technical fest robotics event, line follower & breadboard connections… I was also in Taekwondo team. I am a green belt holder.

WB: What is your message to the readers, especially the future aspirants of GATE willing to emulate your outstanding success?

Never lose sight of your goal and consistently work towards it. The institute is a good place to be in for four years where one will learn a lot about his interests. Prepare diligently and you too will be successful.